HOW TO CONTACT CONGRESS

Let your Senators and Representatives know how you feel about legislative issues. Statistically, every letter received by politicians represents the ideas and thoughts of ten to fifteen voters.

* Get the phone numbers of their hometown offices from the blue pages of your local phone book (under the United States Government heading). Or call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected to their Washington D.C. offices. If you don’t know the name of your Representative, give them your ZIP Code.

*If you are online, visit the website www.congress.org and click on your legislator’s name to send a message. Include your return mailing address and/or phone number to add credibility to your comment.

* Be sure to reference a bill by number.

• Tell them whether you are for or against a bill and attempt to personalize a reason why. Follow up all correspondence until you get a response.

Contacting your Representatives

The following links will help you contact your elected officials. Remember all communication must include your name, address and telephone number to be taken seriously.

E-mail your Representatives

Lookup your US House Representative

E-mail your Senators

Lookup your US Senator

Addresses, Telephone numbers, and e-mail addresses for Members of the Senate

Lookup your US Senator

Telephone numbers and address for House Members

Lookup your US House Representative

Communicating with your elected representatives is easier today than ever before. Constituents have a number of different ways to contact their representatives and express their opinions and views on pending legislation.

Listed below are a number of ways you can communicate with your representatives. Please take the time to contact them. Remember: your voice and vote are important.

Letters and Faxes

The letter is a popular choice of communication with a congressional office. Letters may be sent via e-mail, regular mail, or by fax. The following suggestions will help improve the effectiveness of your letter:

* Your purpose of writing should be stated in the first paragraph of the letter. If your letter pertains to a specific piece of legislation, identify it accordingly. House Bill: H.R. ___, and the title; or Senate Bill: S.____ followed by the title.

*Be courteous, to the point, and include key information, using examples to support your position.

*Address only one issue in each letter, and if possible, keep the letter to one page.

Traditional mail service usually takes less than a week to get delivered. However, when mailing a letter to Washington, D.C. be aware that delivery may be delayed (up to 2-3 months) because each piece is irradiated for contaminants. To ensure your letter is received in a timely matter fax a copy to your representative’s office. To get in touch with your Representatives office click here.

Follow up all correspondence with a phone call to ensure your message was received.

According to the American Society of Association Executives, “for every letter or telephone call a legislator receives from a constituent, he or she assumes there are at least 100 other voters who feel the same way.

E-Mail

E-mail addresses and websites for Members of Congress can be found at www.house.gov/lastname . Websites for most Senators can be found at www.senate.gov/lastname . However, you must include your home address to prove you are a constituent (even our Representatives and Senators know about spam e-mail, as well as the fact that hundreds of e-mails can be sent by the same person in a matter of minutes. The e-mail system is better as a “follow-up” to your original letter/phone call.)

Telephone

The quickest way to communicate with your representatives is by calling them. You don’t even have to know who they are to talk to members of their staff. Call the Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and tell them you want to speak to one of your Senators or your Congressperson. Give them your zip code and they will identify your representatives and connect you. When you are connected to your representative’s office, ask to speak to the legislative assistant handling the issue that you are calling about. If no one is available, leave a message and call back. Keep following up until you receive a response . If you would prefer to talk to the staff at the local office, the number can be found in your local telephone directory.